Saint Paul

Saint Paul (pop. 270,230), capital of Minnesota and seat of Ramsay County, located in the eastern part of the state on the Mississippi River. St. Paul and neighboring Minneapolis together form the Twin Cities. The site was occupied by U.S. Army Fort St. Anthony from 1819; the settlement of St. Paul was established in 1840 and became an important commercial port and fur-trading center. Railroad lines reached the city by the 1860s, extending to Puget Sound, on the west coast, by the 1890s. While the more industrial Minneapolis flourished, St. Paul suffered an economic decline starting in the 1920s, but it has undergone extensive redevelopment since the mid-1960s. Cultural assets now include 2 major performance centers (Landmark Center, 1978; Ordway Music Theatre, 1984) and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.

See also: Minnesota.